Snapchat introduces SnapKidz for children 13 and younger

Snapchat introduced SnapKidz, a version of the app that lets kids younger than 13 use the service.

Snapchat introduced SnapKidz, a version of the app that lets kids younger than 13 use the service. (Snapchat)

Salvador Rodriguez

Snapchat this weekend introduced SnapKidz, a simplified version of the photo messaging app that doesn't let users send out pictures.

The Los Angeles-based messaging service said users younger than 13 can now use Snapchat to take photos and edit them with the captions and drawings that have made the app so popular. But SnapKidz won't let users send or receive photos.

Previously, when users younger than 13 attempted to register and use the service, Snapchat would simply not create an account and block them from using the service.

"This was a pretty standard way of handling things, but it didn’t provide a very good experience," Snapchat said in a blog post announcing the new feature. "So now, in addition to age-gating, we’ve decided to try something a little different."

Under the new policy, the service will still not take their information, but it will open the door to its editing features.

SnapKidz is first launching for Apple iOS devices, but Snapchat said that the feature may come later to Android devices.

The feature was added in an update released Saturday that also fixed bugs that were causing the app to crash. Additionally, Snapchat said it has updated its privacy policy and its terms of service.